"The warthogs approached the hornbills and then lay down on their sides to be cleaned," explains Mr Hendri Coetzee of North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.Mr Coetzee says he repeatedly observed similar interactions between common warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) and southern ground hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) in the Mabula Game Reserve in South Africa's Limpopo Province.

Found a group on S65 last winter. Was scared at first when group approached my parked car ( very small) fairly rapidly. And then they waited! Went back the next day with the same response. Occurred to me that these guys have been "car=food" conditioned. What a shame. They were great to look at though!

When I first saw these up close, I thought they must be one of the inspirations behind Jim Henson's Muppets..especially the eyes and eyelashes! That head shot is great...I was too nervous first time to get closer shots, and kept the windows closed.

I saw a group of Southern Ground Hornbill north of Satara during my trip in September.

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"A roaring lion kills no game.""Until lions start writing down their own stories, the hunters will always be heroes.""If you kill a tree, you are killing a bird."“When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.”

Barcud wrote:(I posted a pic of one feeding on a Puffadder on the previous page if you have not seen it yet).

no, I hadn't but as you wrote, this was alive (wasn't it?) however, that is something else I've always wondered about: quite a few animals eat (venomous) snakes alive...now I imagine it may take a while until a snake dies in a stomach of whatever animal...wouldn't the predator be vulnerable to a snake bite inside his body?